Me Am Coach.

For the time being, I'm acting as the coach for a Playground Incubator 2 team. It's been a pleasure, through and through.
But as much as I am theoretically teaching them, they're teaching me things too.
Being a coach for a team is not the same thing as Being ON a team.
Or Being the Director of a Show.
It's a whole other bird, entirely. Teacher, Advisor, Guide, Diplomat, Mentor, Counselor, Negotiator, Representative. A coach, at one time or another, has to be all of them.

Some skills come to me quite naturally. Others take a little time to learn and integrate into my coaching style.

Here are a few lessons that I've learned recently about the Subtle Art of Coaching an Improv Troupe...

1.) Separate Yourself From The Team.
Like it or not, you're not on the team. And they HAVE TO become the people control the teams destiny. Otherwise the team has no future, if they're dependent on you to chart it for them.
Teams at IO have no control over anything. Not the schedule. Not their roster. Not their form. Not their coach. Nothing. Well, they get to control what night they want to rehearse and what t-shirt they wear to a show.
So, a team that consists of players who've either been trained at IO or who are currently playing there, there's a tendency to do nothing and have everything handled by the coach or the admin people. That's all that they know.
In helping a team find their own way, it's better, I think, to separate myself from them and point out options that they have, but to let them make the actual decisions. For example, I might forward show notices that are looking for troupes, but I won't book it for you.

The down side to that is that you miss out on the fun and the looseness that comes with being on a team. You're always standing on the outside. I'll very rarely attend social gatherings. And I'll be careful not to drink too much with them. I also won't spend too much outside rehearsal time with any one member. All of these are decisions intentionally made to instill some division between me and the team.

I also should mention that this division encourages the team to listen to your guidance and to respect your opinions, far more than if you were their buddy. The distance encourages respect.

2.)Let Go Of Your Expectations For A Team. Follow Them Where They Lead You.
God, I see so many coaches awkwardly cramming their square headed troupes into circular holes. And that's frustrating for everyone. The coach is unhappy because his team isn't being what he wants them to be. And the team is unhappy because they're doing their best, but STILL continue to fail the coaches expectations.
And all along the way, multiple opportunities are lost on both sides. Actually, I see this as being the coaches fault entirely. And he's the one missing the opportunities. Because the team has lots to offer him. He just doesn't see it. Because it's perhaps not the particular thing that he's looking for.
It's better, I think, to relax on your expectations and go where the team is leading you. If they're already pulling towards short, faster, funnier work, don't try to make them a slow, patient grounded troupe. Find them a form where they can do the short, faster, funnier work. And when they excel at it, you'll be enjoying yourself along with them.
The point isn't to change a team, it's to improve upon the skill sets that they already have.

3.) Encouragement Is CRITICAL To The Process.
Be positive. Point out the things that you like.
Point out the things that need improvement, but if you don't see progress from a player, don't hound them about it.
Space out your gentle reminders to them. Odds are, that players gets the message and is holding onto it as well as you are, but is getting distracted by the scenes or by the forms and forgets what they're working for. Don't harass them about it. Be gentle with your reminders and space them out. Too many or too often, leads to an unhappy player.
Likewise, point out when someone develops good, strong habits or shows actual improvement. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, you, me, the guy you just talked to, everyone enjoys having their successes noticed. It gives us a sense of accomplishment and that's critical to continuing a team's forward momentum. The fuel in their personal gas tanks.
Don't be overly sentimental about the team or an individual player. But be sure to mention progress or an exceptionally good performance.

On a similar note, when a team is trying something new and is struggling to get it, don't show disappointment either in face, gesture or word. Rehearsal space is the time to fuck up. There's ideally going to be LOTS of fuckups. Huge, spectacular fuckups. That means people are trying new things and expanding their repertoire. Encourage that. And if something fucks up, don't beat them up about it. That's counter productive.

4.) Don't Force Your Humility On Your Team.
Sometimes they need a leader. Or a wiseman. Or an advisor. It goes with the job title. Don't waste time and energy, convincing your troupe members that you're just one of them.
Give them the thing that they need, be it advice, judgment, perspective, wisdom, etc and accept that as part of the job.
Beware though, losing yourself in the part and actually demanding respect. Whoooo boy. That is truly the path to the dark side.

5.) Keep Warm Ups Consistent.
It's helpful to the team, to feel consistency starting up the rehearsal. You might be bored as Hell with Big Booty. And maybe a few of the other players are, too. But the Big Booty process gives them stability and comfort that they might not appreciate.
So, be consistent with the warmup games.
(This rule actually came from Fuzzy Gerdes. But what can I say? He's dead right about that one.)

6.) Speak Frankly With The Performers.
Don't bullshit them, either. If it stinks, say it stinks and move on. Mollycoddling someone is a definite morale downer. It says, unintentionally, "You aren't ready for the actual truth of things." And that sucks.

7.) Treat The Ensemble Like They Are Professional Artists and They Will Become Professional Artists.
Given a chance to, people will rise to your high expectations for them. And if they fail, they'll usually get up and try again. And in such ways, people find that they've grown and become a better person for the experience.
For me personally, there's no higher compliment than "artist" for someone who improvises. It says, "You're no hack! You understand what's going on here. And what you're capable of and can, on occasion, make that a reality. It's not just bits for you. You can see the art of the thing."
So, when you begin interacting with people from that default assumption, you'll quickly find yourself dealing with people who are embodying those traits. That's how people begin to realize what their potential is. And that's a very exciting process.
If I did nothing else for this Incubator2 team, I at least gave them permission to be excellent in this field. And that has empowered them to excel in this field. That's a very powerful gift to give somebody.

I'm sure there's more than what I've just mentioned there. But that's just a sample of what I'm learning. If you want to learn more, coach a team for yourself. And if you do, don't beat yourself up for your fuckups, either. In life or in rehearsal. That's counter productive.

Cheers,
Mr. B